Pokémon Masters
by bidot23
Summary: Landon's first day on the road gets off to an eventful start when he's attacked by a vicious Rattata that just won't quit. Check out Chapter 3: The Carrier Pidgey!
1. The Adventure Begins

001 – The Adventure Begins

Landon awoke early that morning, as he did every morning, brimming full with excitement for the adventures to come. He had been working as Professor Oak's aid on the ranch Oak owned on the outskirts of Pallet Town for several weeks, and had already seen all kinds of Pokémon he had never seen before.

Landon was of average height for his age, with blonde hair that stood up in a spiky mess all the time and an eternal cowlick on one side of the back of his head. He had blue eyes clear as the sky, and was spry and energetic for the ripe age of nine – make that ten. Today was Landon's birthday, and he was looking forward to this day being better than most.

He got dressed quickly, in some khaki shorts, a blue shirt with a thick white stripe running through the middle, and some tennis shoes. He reined his hair in as best as he could and bounded down the stairs.

"Morning mom!" he called as he burst into the kitchen.

His mother, a medium height woman with soft features and light brown hair hanging in gentle curls, gave him a warm smile. "Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"

She put a plate of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, strawberries, and toast before him, completing the breakfast treat with a glass of milk. Landon's eyes widened at the delectable feast laid out before him, and he began to dig in as he responded. "Yeah, I slept all right."

"You weren't too excited for your party tonight that you couldn't fall asleep?" his mother asked playfully.

"No way," Landon replied grandly. "I was so excited that I tired myself out." They shared a hearty laugh and continued to eat their breakfast.

After his meal, Landon gathered his backpack full of important supplies – extra clothes, basic first aid, some snack bars – and shot out the door on the way to Professor Oak's mansion. He ran through Pallet Town, which laid bathing in the golden morning light, just waking from its slumber. Several merchants were milling about, preparing their street-facing displays for the day. A few homes had residents in gardening gear, kneeling among the flowerbeds. Landon jogged past it all at a brisk pace, excited to learn even more about Pokémon today.

Professor Oak was a world-renowned Pokémon professor, and he was very busy. As such, he didn't have a lot of time to tend to his own grounds, and needed help in general to study the Pokémon that lived in the great garden behind his mansion.

As the resident professor in Pallet Town and the premier Pokémon scientist in the Kanto region, Professor Oak helped many Pokémon trainers by keeping their Pokémon for them. Since trainers may only have six Pokémon at a time on their team, Oak offered many of them a place for their Pokémon to play when they weren't traveling the world. This let the trainers keep their Pokémon happy and healthy and let Oak get valuable time studying the Pokémon they left behind.

Due to the huge number of Pokémon he cared for, as well as the large estate he owned, Professor Oak was always interested in anyone who wanted to help. He particularly enjoyed giving jobs to younger kids, so that they could begin to learn about Pokémon at a very young age. Because of this, Landon had been able to get a job working with him every day.

Landon looked up to see Oak's mansion, sitting on the top of a hill at the edge of Pallet Town. It sat gleaming in the morning sun, a beautiful white two-story building made of white bricks. The pristine lawn around it shimmered a golden-green, and the pale blue sky above completed a picture of beauty and serenity. Landon bounded up the concrete stairs leading up the hill to Oak's front door two at a time, finally coming to a halt on the doorstep. He was panting a little from his brief morning jog, and composed himself for a moment before ringing the doorbell. Several seconds later the door opened and Professor Oak was smiling down at him.

Professor Oak was a tall man with silver gray hair. He always wore a white lab coat over his clothes, and he had thick eyebrows above intense, black eyes.

"Good morning," the professor said, an edge to his voice.

"Good morning," replied Landon cheerfully, wondering what was wrong.

Professor Oak held the door open so that Landon could come in. Landon stepped into the foyer, feeling the light kiss of air conditioning upon his face. "I knew you'd be along soon," Oak said. "I need your help."

"Of course!" Landon replied. "That's why I'm here."

"I'm glad for it," sighed Oak. "I had a problem this morning. I was doing some research and three Pokémon escaped from my lab."

Landon was aghast. "Oh no!"

"I know! It's terrible." Oak shook his head morosely. "I'm sure they're all right, they haven't been gone for very long, but they're out there somewhere. I haven't gotten any calls from the residents of Pallet Town, but it might be too early. I just hope they don't get lost in the wilderness."

"Do these Pokémon belong to someone?" Landon asked.

"No, thank goodness. As you know, I used to be a trainer myself, and I have some Pokémon of my own. These were some rare Pokémon I recently acquired."

Landon frowned, wondering where they could be. "What Pokémon were they?"

Professor Oak motioned for Landon to follow him into the next room. The sitting room was a spacious room with large, plush couches, a television, and a coffee table. On the coffee table, Oak had laid some photographs. He picked them up and handed them to Landon.

The first contained a picture of a small quadripedal creature. It had short, stubby legs with tiny claws on them, teal skin with dark blue markings, big red eyes, and a large green bulb on its back.

The second picture contained the image of a reddish-orange skinned lizard on two legs. Its stomach was a tan color, it had big blue eyes, and at the tip of its tail burned a flame.

The final photograph depicted a small blue creature. It also stood upright on two legs, with a curly tail to balance. It had a tan belly, brown eyes, and a big brown shell on its back.

"Those are the Pokémon," Oak narrated as Landon took in their appearance. "They're rare Pokémon unique to the Kanto region. The first is a grass type called Bulbasaur. The second is a fire type named Charmander. The last one is a water type called Squirtle. They're rare and valuable Pokémon, and they're very young so it's not good to leave them wandering around in the wild or in town without any supervision."

Landon nodded. "So you need me to find them and get them back?" he asked.

"That's right." The professor handed him three round objects. They were Poké Balls, white on bottom, red on the top, with a black line dividing the hemispheres and a silver button on the front. These sophisticated devices were used to capture and transport Pokémon. "These three Poké Balls belong to those three Pokémon. You can use these when you find them to contain them and keep them from getting loose again."

Landon took the Poké Balls with determination. Today's assignment was by far the most crucial. This was certainly not feeding the fish or watering the plants. Rare Pokémon were on the loose.

Just then, the phone rang. Professor Oak looked up hopefully, and Landon understood that it could be information regarding the lost Pokémon. Landon sat patiently as Professor Oak went into the other room to answer the phone.

While he was alone, Landon sat staring at the three Poké Balls, thinking of the task at hand. Professor Oak had said that these were young Pokémon, so anything was possible. While many young Pokémon were naturally docile, and these didn't look particularly hostile, he knew he would have to be careful. Without a Pokémon of his own to protect himself, he was going to have to be very cautious and hope that none of these Pokémon felt like fighting.

Oak returned, a look of hope playing over the tension drawn on his face. "I just got off the phone with one of the shop owners in town. They said they've seen a fire Pokémon on the roof and were wondering if we'd lost any."

Landon looked back at the picture of Charmander and nodded. "Which way?"

Professor Oak showed Landon the way to go, and Landon set off, running with much more speed and purpose than he had done on his morning jog to the lab. He never would have guessed that his adventure today would be so much more challenging and important than the daily duties he'd grown to expect.

He approached the shop in question in only a few minutes and saw immediately the problem. A small crowd had gathered to stare at the roof and there, on the weathervane, was the fire lizard Pokémon.

The Charmander was clinging to the weathervane tightly, and it looked terrified. Landon was shocked that it had climbed to the roof of the building and gotten stuck, but he knew he had to get the Pokémon down no matter what. He sprang into action, rushing forward, pushing through the small gathered crowd. Once he'd gotten to the front of the crowd, he held up one of the Poké Balls. "Charmander, return!" he called, prompting the Poké Ball to shoot a beam of red light from the button on the front. The beam streaked toward Charmander, but did not reach it. Landon needed to get closer.

He turned around to the shop owner. "Is there any way I can climb up on the roof?"

The owner didn't look too pleased at the thought of having a Pokémon and a child stranded on his roof, but he realized that these Poké Balls meant that Professor Oak himself had sent this boy. He pointed to a stack of crates near the corner.

Landon ran to the crates and scaled them quickly, too quickly to discover if they were particularly stable footing or not. He was on the roof in mere seconds, and he crouched low to avoid tumbling off the steep slant. He crept toward the Charmander, which stared at him with fear in its eyes. It obviously wasn't sure whether to be more scared of the height or this mysterious newcomer. Landon continued to inch forward until he was almost close enough to touch Charmander. Then he held out the Poké Ball and tried to recall Charmander.

It didn't work. The red light shot out toward Charmander, but while it hit the Pokémon, it seemed to have no effect. Landon stared at the ball in disbelief for several seconds before realizing that it must belong to one of the other lost Pokémon. He then pulled another ball from his belt and pointed it at Charmander. This time, the red light that shot out engulfed Charmander, and in seconds Charmander's form shrunk down and disappeared, the light sucking back into the Poké Ball.

Landon stared at the Poké Ball, which now contained a fire type Pokémon, in near disbelief. This was the first time he'd ever used a real Poké Ball to catch a real Pokémon. Sure, he'd played with toy Poké Balls when he was younger, but never had he actually used one to catch a real Pokémon. Well, perhaps he didn't catch Charmander, but this was close enough.

He snapped back to reality and realized he needed to get down safely off the roof. Landon wasn't particularly afraid of heights, but he was keenly aware that falling from this distance would probably yield a broken limb. He scooted back across the roof the way he'd come. It seemed to take much longer than when he'd been leaving the edge to chase after Charmander. At last, he felt his foot brush the edge of the roof. He turned and saw that he was near the crates he'd scaled. He lowered himself gently down onto the topmost crate and felt it wobble underneath him. He stood uncertainly for several seconds. Getting down was always harder than getting up, but he realized that it was better to go for it than to sit there and wait for the tower to tumble. With that, he bounded precariously down the stack of crates, landing safely, if not unsteadily, on the ground below.

He looked up to see the crowd of people staring at him, many with pale faces and sweat on their brows. Apparently Landon's feat had been a bit more harrowing than he'd realized. He gave everyone a good-natured wink. "Piece of cake," he said reassuringly, and ran off to seek the other Pokémon before anyone could accost him for being reckless.

He resisted the urge to stare at the Poké Ball containing Charmander and dream of what it was like to have his own Pokémon. He searched throughout the town for quite a while with no success. He finally decided to take a break from his aching feet – just a quick break – and catch his breath on the waterfront.

Pallet Town was a small town, certainly no industrial center or home of the arts. It was a peaceful place that simply boasted a favorable climate and some of the cleanest air in the world. However, it also sat on the edge of the ocean, and while the beaches of Pallet Town weren't the most impressive, the waterfront, a concrete and wood dock built along a stretch of beach, was one of the most relaxing places in town. There, with the quaint homes and green grasses of Pallet Town behind and the shimmering waves and salty breeze in front, true relaxation could be found.

Landon sat in a bench on the waterfront, feeling immediately the relief in his aching legs. He looked out at the shimmering waves, somewhat less relaxing after his harrowing morning wrought with unfinished business, but relaxing nonetheless. He then heard something: A splashing, and a strange voice. He stood and went to the rail at the end of the waterfront, and was shocked to find that just below him was swimming Squirtle.

The turtle Pokémon was swimming lazily, lying on its back and idly kicking while enjoying the sun and the water. Landon felt a little bad snapping it out of its happy relaxation, but he knew he had a job to do, and he didn't want to let Squirtle get away too quickly. He pulled another Poké Ball from his belt, praying it was the right one, and held it out facing Squirtle.

"Squirtle, return!" he said. Squirtle's eyes popped open in surprise, but by that time the red light had begun to engulf it. In moments Squirtle had vanished, returned safely to its Poké Ball.

"All right!" Landon said, feeling more energized than any amount of sitting and relaxing would have allowed. "All I have to do is find just one more and I'll have saved the day!"

He ran off with renewed vigor. He had searched most of the town, and now that it was getting close to midday, he figured that if Bulbasaur was lost somewhere in town, someone would see it and call the professor. That meant Landon needed to be sure that Bulbasaur didn't escape and get lost in the woods. He ran to the edge of town near Professor Oak's mansion and continued across the great grassy expanse toward the edge of the forest beyond. It was a wall of trees that looked dark and ominous. Here, the trees grew so thick that they blocked out the light of the sun. Landon hoped Bulbasaur hadn't run in there. If it had, it would take many people scouring the forest to find it, and even then, they might not. The forest was thick and untamed.

However, as Landon approached, he saw a familiar sight. The blue tint of Bulbasaur's skin made its bright green bulb glint even stronger in contrast to its surroundings. Rather than blending in to the grass as it had from further away, Bulbasaur's body made it stick out like a sore thumb.

The Bulbasaur was resting peacefully, soaking up the sun with the bulb on its back at the edge of the forest in the sunny field. Landon guessed that Bulbasaur had run into the forest and realized that it was too dark for its purposes, returning to sunbathe here in this field.

It was almost comical that Bulbasaur had been this close. Landon could actually see the professor's lab from here. Bulbasaur might've been the last one to be found, but he was actually the closest to home. Landon let out a silent chuckle as he removed the final empty Poké Ball from his belt.

At the light clicking noise this caused, Bulbasaur stirred. Landon froze for a moment, before holding the Poké Ball out toward the Pokémon. "Bulbasaur, return!"

But Bulbasaur was too fast. Bulbasaur's eyes flashed open at Landon's first word, and with stunning speed it dodged the ray of red light. Landon grimaced and tried again, but Bulbasaur dodged the Poké Ball once more. Landon decided to throw the ball. He knew that empty Poké Balls were thrown to capture wild Pokémon, but he vaguely remembered being told that this was also a way to return a Pokémon to its ball. Landon had been throwing toy Poké Balls for a long time, so he took aim and hurled the ball at the stubborn Pokémon.

Not even close.

Landon's aim wasn't as sure as he'd expected it to be, in large part because Bulbasaur was warily dodging around. Landon might've practiced throwing Poké Balls throughout the years, but never on a moving target. The ball bounced uselessly, several feet from Bulbasaur, and lay still in the grass.

Landon could have kicked himself. Now he needed to get the ball back before he could recapture Bulbasaur. He took a deep breath, readied himself, and began to move cautiously but purposefully toward the Poké Ball.

Bulbasaur was onto the ruse. It lunged aggressively toward Landon, causing him to take several steps backward. Bulbasaur had certainly not attacked Landon, but the threat had been enough for Landon to stop advancing on the Poké Ball.

_What can I do?_ Landon thought to himself. _I have to get Bulbasaur back, but how can I get it to stop attacking me?_

Then a thought dawned on him – a thought so crazy that it just might work. If this Pokémon wanted to battle him, then Landon would use the other Pokémon he had with him to accept that challenge.

Landon reached back, grabbed a Poké Ball, and prayed he wasn't undoing all the work he'd done this morning. "Squirtle, go!" Landon called, throwing the Poké Ball toward Bulbasaur. It bounced in front of the Pokémon, then opened and spewed forth brilliant white light. The light took the shape of Squirtle and faded to reveal the Pokémon.

"Squirtle!" It called, happy to be out of the Poké Ball.

"Squirtle, we've gotta get Bulbasaur back into its Poké Ball," Landon called, realizing that he didn't know any of Squirtle's attacks. He could've kicked himself again. He was really making a mess of things.

Bulbasaur didn't have the disadvantage of an uncertain trainer. It lunged at Squirtle with a powerful Tackle attack that sent Squirtle careening backward with an indignant cry.

Tackle was one of the most common Pokémon attacks, Landon realized. He was willing to take the risk. "Squirtle, use Tackle attack!"

Squirtle nodded its agreement and launched its body at Bulbasaur, knocking the opposing Pokémon back. They began pushing at each other and Landon tried to inch toward the discarded Poké Ball. However, out of the corner of its eye, Bulbasaur saw what he was doing. Bulbasaur gathered all its force into a huge push to end the stalemate and sent Squirtle flying. It then ran toward Landon and stood threateningly in between him and the Poké Ball.

Landon growled under his breath, remembering to return Squirtle to its Poké Ball lest it run off while he was preoccupied. He then grabbed the other Poké Ball on his belt and threw it out. "Let's do it, Charmander!"

The lizard appeared in a brilliant flash of light. It hardly looked more confident than it had earlier. Landon called out to it, "Charmander, use Tackle attack!"

Charmander turned to look at him in confusion. The Bulbasaur let out a mocking cackle. Landon grimaced. Obviously, Charmander didn't know Tackle attack. But if not that, then what?

He looked Charmander up and down. Surely Charmander would know some fire attacks, but which ones specifically were beyond Landon. There were lots of fire attacks that various Pokémon could learn, but that didn't mean every fire Pokémon could use every fire attack. Plus, these Pokémon were all babies, and didn't yet have many powerful techniques. The Charmander probably didn't know how to use any fire techniques.

He saw that Charmander's little arms had tiny claws on them and realized that he knew another Pokémon attack that many Pokémon knew. Trying it was as likely as anything was.

"Charmander, use Scratch!"

Charmander looked nervous and fearful, but it thankfully obeyed, closing its eyes and waving its claws around in the air. Bulbasaur was still having a hearty laugh at Landon's expense, and Charmander's claws raked across Bulbasaur's face, right between its eyes, in the middle of a laugh. Bulbasaur's eyes popped open, rife with shock. The last thing it had expected was to be attacked by this timid Pokémon. It staggered back in surprise and a little pain, as Charmander continued an onslaught of Scratch attacks. Anger flashed across Bulbasaur's face and it began trying to counter attack, but Charmander's onslaught was too persistent, and Bulbasaur was continually being pushed back.

Landon saw an opening and dove forward. Bulbasaur took note and tried to free itself from Charmander's claws, but this time Landon was quicker. He slid on the grass, snatching the Poké Ball in one hand. In the same motion, he twisted his body upright, turning in Bulbasaur's direction. "Bulbasaur, return!" The red light shot forth once more, and this time it caught the stubborn Pokémon and returned it safely to its Poké Ball.

Landon breathed a sigh of relief. Charmander looked as though it had just seen a ghost, and Landon graciously returned it to its Poké Ball as well. He then began to walk back to Professor Oak's mansion.

He arrived back at the mansion several minutes later, and the door opened to reveal Professor Oak looking harried.

"Oh, Landon, you're back," he said with great relief. "Did you find one of the Pokémon?"

Landon let a big smile play across his face as he presented all three Poké Balls. "I caught them all!" he said, grinning ear to ear.

Professor Oak looked stunned, but quickly recovered and took the Poké Balls from Landon with delight. "Oh, Landon, thank you so much!" said the professor. "This means a lot to me."

"It was no problem," Landon lied, remembering that he had a huge grass stain on his shirt from his recent altercation with Bulbasaur.

Oak looked at the balls containing the three Pokémon. "I just got these Pokémon the other day as a gift from my grandson, and I'm sure he would have been unhappy to hear that I'd lost them."

Landon nodded his agreement. He'd forgotten Oak had a grandson. The kid had left Pallet Town several years before to begin his own Pokémon adventure, and Landon had been a little too young to really have known him.

"I owe you big time," Professor Oak continued with evident sincerity. "I'll make this up to you somehow."

Landon blushed. "Aw, come on professor. I'm supposed to help you out around here. It was the least I could do."

"This was beyond the call of duty, young man," Oak retorted. "I will have to find a way to reward you."

Landon shrugged, embarrassed by the praise. "Well, you could come to my birthday party tonight?" he suggested hesitantly.

Professor Oak's eyebrow rose. "It's your birthday?"

"Sure is!"

Oak smiled lightly. "And how old will you be?"

"I'm ten years old today," Landon declared proudly.

"Ten years old," Oak repeated, a mischievous glint in his eye. "And you say you have a party tonight?"

"Yep, at seven."

"All right, I'll tell you what I'll do," Oak said. "I'm going to insist that you take the rest of the day off. You look like you did some hard work getting these Pokémon back and you deserve it."

Landon tried to protest, but the professor would hear none of it.

Oak continued. "I'll be more than happy to come to your party tonight. In fact, I'll get you a nice present to thank you for your hard work today and show my appreciation for all that you've done for me as my lab assistant. Now go home and have a good rest of the day."

Landon felt so sheepish after having received such glowing praise. He gratefully accepted his day off and turned to walk home. He would figure out what to do with the rest of his day before his birthday party in time, but first he had to get home and talk to his mom. Of course, she needed to know that there'd be another guest at the party that night, but really, he couldn't wait to tell her all about his first real adventure with Pokémon!

Who's That Pokémon?

#001 Bulbasaur

Grass/Poison Type

Seed Pokémon

2'04", 15.2lbs

Pokédex: For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back.


	2. Birthday Surprise

002 – Birthday Surprise

Landon ran home to his mother, who was shocked when he burst through the doorway so early. She had been busying herself about preparing the house and backyard for Landon's party that evening, but agreed to take a break to listen to the story of Landon's spectacular adventure around Pallet Town.

She brewed them some tea and they sat together in the kitchen as Landon spoke animatedly, replaying the events of the day and gushing with excitement that he got to have his first real Pokémon battle. Well, maybe it wasn't very official, and maybe none of the Pokémon were really his, but it was a battle nonetheless, and Landon was overjoyed.

After listening to his tale and agreeing that it was exciting and heroic of him, his mother suggested that he change out of his dirty clothes, take a shower, and get ready for the party that evening. Landon told her that Professor Oak would be attending and ran off to jump in the shower.

It wasn't until he found himself in the bathroom alone, the water pouring over him and steam filling the air, that Landon finally calmed down. Today had felt like a dream, and Landon had to pinch himself to make sure it was real.

"Ow!" he said, giggling a little bit, before breaking into a fit of giddy laughter. He couldn't believe it! The day had started as the biggest, most stressful crisis of his time as Oak's assistant, but it had led to him getting to have the closest experience he'd had yet to being a real Pokémon trainer.

After the shower Landon got dressed and went to help his mother put up party decorations despite her protests that she could do it herself. They worked for several hours as the afternoon wore on, preparing their little house for Landon's big day.

As the sun began to set, the guests began to arrive. The party was fairly modest, just a few of Landon's friends from around the small neighborhood, and some older members of the community who were particularly fond of Landon. The backyard to Landon's home was strung with paper lanterns of numerous festive colors and they'd hung a banner from the back of the house that read, "Happy Birthday!"

Several of the adults at the party came to Landon to congratulate him on the good work he'd done capturing the escaped Pokémon earlier that day, as news had spread around the small community of Pallet Town. Landon took it upon himself to perform a dramatic retelling for all of his friends in attendance, which was received with cheers and applause, as well as envious looks from his peers.

Professor Oak had not yet arrived when his mother announced that dinner was served. The guests filed into the kitchen to help themselves to a buffet of delicious foods. His mom was known around the community for being an excellent cook, and it was possible that several of the guests had come more for the food than the celebration.

Landon sat eating happily with his friends, though he was a little concerned that Oak hadn't shown up. It wouldn't have been a big deal or a disappointment, but the Professor had said so himself that he would be coming to the party tonight. Landon shrugged it off; Professor Oak had a tendency to be absent-minded, and he often got distracted at the drop of a hat by one discovery or another. Plus he often made trips across the mountains to the Johto region to work on a radio show there, and sometimes would devote hours of the night working on material for it.

The party continued with everyone eating and drinking merrily and then it was time for cake. Landon's mother brought out an enormous and delectable-looking chocolate cake, with a red and white icing PokéBall design on the top, ringed in ten candles. Everyone was awed at the beautiful cake and Landon eagerly ran toward it. He tried not to look too embarrassed while everyone sang the birthday song, and clapped along with everyone else when it was finished.

He turned to his cake, eyeing it hungrily, and began to take a deep breath to blow out the candles.

"Remember to make a wish!" his mother reminded him.

"Yes, they say that your tenth birthday wish is particularly special," said a familiar voice. Landon looked up excitedly to see that Professor Oak had arrived and joined in the mass of people crowded around.

"Professor Oak!" Landon cried happily. "You made it!" Several of the younger kids let out gasps of awe. Professor Oak was well known in the world, almost a legend himself, and was so busy that he was rarely seen by any except those who worked directly with him. It was a special treat for him to make an appearance.

"Of course I made it," Oak said, smiling. "I promised I'd be here. Now make a wish! Go on!"

Landon thought for only a few seconds before wishing silently to himself: _I wish to be a Pokémon master! _He took a huge breath and blew as hard as he could, and everyone who was gathered around cheered and clapped. Landon looked up at all the smiling faces around him and felt overwhelmed by how lucky he was to have so many people who cared for him.

His mother cut him a piece of cake and he ran to sit and start enjoying the rich, chocolaty goodness. The rest of the guests got their cake as well and everyone resumed their various conversations. Professor Oak worked his way through the crowd toward Landon.

"I'm sorry I was late," apologized Oak. "I got a little caught up in my work and lost track of time."

"It's okay," Landon said. "I'm just glad you made it."

"Me too. You didn't happen to have already opened your presents, did you?"

Landon shook his head. "Not yet."

Oak smiled. "Oh, good!" He patted Landon affectionately on the head and wandered off to mingle. Landon saw that Oak had gone to speak with Landon's mother, who was looking pensive, but then Landon took another bite of the delicious cake and a friend told a funny joke, and soon enough he was paying them no heed.

Everyone enjoyed the cake – some people, including Landon, enjoyed more than one piece of it – and chatted until Landon's mother declared that it was time to open presents. Most of the people from town had brought Landon gifts, which they'd placed in a big stack near the back door of the house. Landon ran excitedly to the tower of presents and began tearing into them. Many of the attendees, who owned shops nearby, had gotten him something fun or useful from the stock in their stores. His friends had gotten him cool Pokémon merchandise and books. Finally, his mother brought out a box for him to open.

"From me," she said, smiling deeply.

Landon tore through the wrapping paper and opened the box to find a heavy-duty backpack. It was forest green with orange lining around the seams and zippers, and looked like it was perfect for tough hiking treks.

"Thanks mom!" Landon cried. "This is awesome!"

"I'm glad you like it!" She turned to the gathered crowd. "I think we have just one more present to give."

Landon was surprised. The table was empty of unopened presents, and his mom traditionally saved her gift for last. He wondered what the present could be as Professor Oak stepped forward from the crowd. Landon looked quizzically at the Professor, who came to stand beside Landon before turning to address the crowd.

"Landon is a wonderful friend to me," Oak began. "He has worked as my assistant for some time now, and through that relationship I have known him to be a responsible and smart young lad with a bright future. As most of you have undoubtedly heard by now, several rare Pokémon escaped from my lab earlier today and were in danger of running away into the wild. Landon bravely took up the challenge to capture these three young Pokémon and was able to return them to me safe and sound. This was truly an impressive feat and I am forever grateful to him.

"The Pokémon are the three traditionally given away in the Kanto region to young Pallet Town trainers starting a Pokémon journey. This is a tradition that I started many years ago, and Landon has saved me a great deal of trouble and embarrassment by helping me solve this problem. I was so grateful, in fact, that I contacted my grandson, who was responsible for getting me these Pokémon in the first place, and asked him what he thought of Landon's heroics.

"I came here tonight to celebrate the birthday of a dear friend, like you all did. But I also came with something else in mind, and I have spoken with my grandson and Landon's mother about this gift. We've all agreed that Landon's help, both today and during his entire time working with me, has been invaluable and has more than warranted this present."

Landon, who could barely stand the tension any longer, looked to his mother for a clue, but all she gave was a smile, which seemed strangely both sad and proud at once.

Oak continued. "That is why my grandson, Landon's mother, and I have decided to bestow upon him the three Pokémon which he helped to rescue earlier today!"

A cry of surprise and excitement erupted from the crowd at the unprecedented news, but Landon heard none of it. To him, it was as if the world had stopped. He felt like he was suddenly in slow motion. It was impossible. Sure, Landon was turning ten today, the age many traditionally began their own Pokémon journeys. And sure, Professor Oak was known for giving away a Pokémon to beginning trainers leaving Pallet Town. But Landon had, for some reason, not thought that he would be so lucky as to leave home to start his own journey, much less receive a rare Pokémon from the Professor. To receive all three was unheard of.

Landon was shaken from his trance by Professor Oak, who leaned down to face him.

"Landon," he said, "I am truly grateful for the help you've given me, and I'll be sad to see you go, but I know it's time, and I couldn't be happier to be giving you this gift to start you on your way."

Oak held out the three gleaming, perfect PokéBalls, containing the shy Charmander, the lazy Squirtle, and the tough Bulbasaur. Landon looked uncertainly at Professor Oak, thinking that perhaps it really was all a dream, but the Professor just nodded encouragingly and smiled, and Landon slowly and shakily took the three PokéBalls in his hands and stared at them in awe and disbelief.

"My Pokémon," he whispered to himself. "These are my Pokémon!"

Then his mother was there, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so proud of you," she said into his shoulder, and Landon could hear a slight waver in her voice and feel moisture on her cheeks.

She released him as he was swarmed by his friends, who were eager to see the three rare Pokémon. Landon suddenly shifted from feeling surreal to feeling full of determined excitement.

"Of course I'll show you my Pokémon," he laughed. "They're awesome. Come on out, guys!" He tossed the three PokéBalls in the air, and they each popped open in a brilliant flash of light, revealing the Pokémon within.

Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur appeared in the crowd of kids, who went insane at their arrival. Kids swarmed around whichever Pokémon was nearest. Squirtle was knocked a little off balance and seemed confused. Charmander started running around, holding his tail before him and trailed by a small train of kids. Bulbasaur growled at the kids around him but softened slightly as they began petting him and talking about how awesome he was. Bulbasaur looked through the crush of kids to Landon and their eyes met before Bulbasaur nodded approvingly.

The Pokémon got used to the attention and everyone played with them for a while before Landon returned them to their PokéBalls and the party slowly dispersed. Everyone wished Landon the best, and there were more than a few tearful farewells as people realized that this might be the last time in a long time that Landon would be home. Finally, Landon was left with his mother and Professor Oak.

"Professor, this is amazing," stuttered Landon. "How can I accept this gift?"

"You must," smiled Oak. "I called my grandson and told him that I had the idea to give them to you, and he agreed. I asked your mother when I arrived at the party and she said she'd known you would be leaving soon enough and would love for you to have strong Pokémon to take with you to protect you and keep you company. I even asked Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle individually what they thought of going on a journey with you and they all loved the idea."

Landon gaped. "Really?"

"Really," nodded Professor Oak. "We all see that you have talent, that you have a bright future, that you're someone we can trust. Perhaps we see something in you that you don't yet see in yourself, but I assure you, Landon, you have earned this."

Landon wiped at the tears that welled up in his eyes, threatening to fall. It was all so overwhelming and unbelievable, truly a dream come true. He couldn't think of any words, so he ran to Professor Oak and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you so much!" Landon cried. "I won't let you down!"

Oak smiled. "I know you won't. And we'll be in touch all the time. You can call me from any Pokémon Center and I will be happy to keep any Pokémon you catch beyond six on my ranch."

"Really?!" Landon beamed.

"Of course. It will be my pleasure, and in that way you'll be able to continue to help me with my research even if you're not around."

"That's very generous," Landon's mother said.

"Oh, no," Oak waved dismissively. "It's the least I can do for a friend. Now, I must be getting on. I'll miss you, Landon. I look forward to hearing of all your many victories to come." He patted Landon affectionately on the head yet again and strode away, fading into the night as he left the warm yellow light of the lanterns that illuminated the back yard.

Landon looked at his mom. They were alone for the first time since the party had begun, during which they'd both found out that Landon would be able to leave on his journey first thing in the morning.

"Mom . . ." Landon said uncertainly.

"Did you have a nice party?" asked his mother, almost as though she hadn't heard him. Landon nodded. "I'm glad. But you'd better hurry up and get to bed. You'll want to be all rested for your big day tomorrow."

Landon couldn't believe it. She hadn't said that he would be leaving, nor had he, but they both knew it and in that moment she had acknowledged that it would really be happening. Landon sniffed and wiped away more tears before running to give her a huge hug.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too, sweetie."

* * *

><p>Landon looked out over Route 1. It was a grassy expanse, with gentle sloping hills and a few trees dotted about. He glanced behind him, at Pallet Town; his home, where he'd spent his childhood, where he'd learned about Pokémon with Professor Oak, and where his journey as a trainer had truly begun. Now he stood on the edge of adventure, at the beginning of it all.<p>

He smiled, thinking of the delicious and hearty breakfast his mother had prepared that morning. The way she'd hugged him too tight and turned away to hide her tears. Her support was so incredible, and Landon could barely bring himself to take that step beyond the town limits. He chuckled gratefully to himself, thankful for the support of the entire town, including his mother and the Professor, and turned once more to look ahead of him. Feeling the weight of the three PokéBalls secured at his belt, he took his first step into the wilds.

He walked for a while before his feet began to hurt. The sky was clear and blue, with white, puffy clouds drifting lazily in the sky. The sun was bright and brought out the vibrant green of the grass. It hadn't taken long for the grass around Route 1's sparse dirt path to thicken and grow taller. Landon had walked along the dirt path for a while, and then switched to trudging through the grass, which proved a bit too tiring and drove him back to the path.

It was a beautiful day and Landon's excitement at finally being on his journey hadn't subsided, but he was getting a little tired. Perhaps a break was in order. He felt like he'd been walking forever, and the road was a quiet and lonely place as he travelled in solitude – much different from home. He looked at his watch and was dismayed to see that he'd only been walking for about forty minutes.

This was certainly not the heroic and exciting start to his Pokémon journey that he'd imagined. Forty minutes in and he already felt like he'd been walking for hours. He had put some distance between himself and home, but had quite a ways to go before making it to Viridian City on the other side of the route. His feet were hurting, he was lonely, and honestly a little grumpy. Perhaps worst of all, nothing had happened.

Landon decided to stop right there. He saw a nearby rock that looked like he could use to sit comfortably for a few minutes and went to it. He sighed as he sat, the dull ache which had slowly been building in his feet at the forefront of his thoughts.

He looked around Route 1. Yes, it was a gorgeous day, but there were no people around and, aside from some far-off bird, no Pokémon to be seen either. Was this how Pokémon trainers the world over did it? Was it uneventful days of trudging along, feet aching, lonely, bored? Is this how a Pokémon master was born?

Landon was starting to wonder if this was such a good idea at all when he suddenly heard a rustling in the grass nearby. He looked to his left and saw something shaking the leaves about – and then a Pokémon burst forth.

It was very small, quadripedal, and covered in purple fur all over except for its underside, which had white fur. It had small, clawed feet, a long tail poised above its head, large round ears on either side of its face, big, angry red eyes, and a large gaping mouth with a giant pair of front teeth.

"A Rattata!" Landon cried. Rattata was a fairly common sight in the area around Pallet Town and were sometimes spotted in the town itself. It was also a popular Pokémon for beginner trainers in Kanto, and Landon had seen a few at Oak's lab, though he wasn't very familiar with them.

This particular Rattata did not seem happy to see Landon. It snarled at him and looked like it was ready to attack. Landon stood up and began to back away, wondering what exactly he'd done to provoke the Pokémon, when he stopped. _Wait a second! _I'm_ a beginner trainer. I should catch this Rattata!_

Landon had a small cache of empty PokéBalls for just such an occasion, and he readied himself for his first capture. He snagged a PokéBall from his bag.

"All right, Rattata," he said. "You're mine!" Landon lobbed the PokéBall, remembering his failure with Bulbasaur just the previous day. This time, Rattata wasn't running around, but standing its ground, staring at Landon. The ball flew expertly at its target, but before contact, Rattata spun quickly around and knocked it to the ground with its tail. Landon gritted his teeth and reached for another PokéBall –

Then he remembered that it was best to weaken wild Pokémon in battle before attempting a capture. So instead of going for one of the PokéBalls in his bag, he reached to his belt loop.

"Okay, Rattata," Landon said, smiling. "You wanna play? Well here we go. Charmander! I choose you!"

In a flash, Charmander appeared before Landon. Rattata bared its fangs, ready for a fight, and Landon prepared to give his Pokémon a command in his first real battle.

_Okay,_ Landon thought to himself. _I'll have my first real Pokémon battle and I'll get to catch my very first Pokémon! Get ready, Rattata: Here we come!_

* * *

><p>Who's That Pokémon?<p>

#019 Rattata

Normal Type

Mouse Pokémon

1'00", 7.7lbs

Pokédex: Cautious in the extreme, its hardy vitality lets it live in any environment.


	3. The Carrier Pidgey

003 – The Carrier Pidgey

"Charmander! Scratch attack!"

Rattata rushed at Charmander, who raised his claws in the air in response to Landon's command –

– And covered his eyes.

"Charmander!" Landon cried in dismay. He suddenly realized that his Pokémon was shaking in fear. It was too late, and Rattata slammed into Charmander with a powerful Tackle attack. Charmander let out a cry and sprawled before Landon.

Landon knelt before his Pokémon. "Charmander, I'm sorry. Return." Charmander vanished back into his PokéBall.

Landon looked at the Rattata. Whether or not it had been an option, there was certainly no going back now. Rattata was angry and looked intent on battling, one way or the other. _Somehow I thought this would be easier, _thought Landon ruefully. Charmander may have been too fearful to fight, but Landon knew he had at least one Pokémon in his party who would be as ready to battle as this Rattata. Landon reached for another of his PokéBalls.

"Bulbasaur! I choose you!"

Landon threw the ball from his belt and in a flash, his Pokémon was standing before him.

"Wait . . . Squirtle?"

Indeed, the Pokémon that appeared was not his aggressive grass type, but his rather more relaxed water type. "Must've grabbed the wrong one," muttered Landon. It was a rookie mistake, but there was no time to fret now.

Rattata was already on the move, coming in with another Tackle attack. "Squirtle!" Landon cried. "Use Tackle!"

Squirtle let out a startled cry to see the angry rat rushing right at him. Rattata leapt into the air, careening bodily toward Squirtle, who teetered out of the way just in time for Rattata to sail past.

Landon gaped momentarily, not sure what to say. "Um . . . good dodge, Squirtle. But you really should use Tackle. Now's your chance."

Squirtle didn't seem too excited to jump in and throw himself at Rattata, who had by now regained footing from an unsuccessful assault and was preparing to strike once more. Rattata lunged forward – and Squirtle turned and ran. Landon watched in silence, equal parts horror and embarrassment, as Rattata chased Squirtle in circles, Squirtle crying out in fearful irritation, and Rattata growling on his heels. After a moment, Landon decided he'd seen enough.

"Squirtle, return! And Bulbasaur, come on out! . . . For real this time!"

As he spoke, Landon returned the ball now once more containing Squirtle to his belt and snagged the final PokéBall that hung there, tossing it before him. He had a brief moment of terror when he considered that he may have accidentally sent out Charmander again, but was rewarded with the sight of his grass type Pokémon, looking like he was ready to brawl.

Rattata barely missed a step, leaving the chase for Squirtle and sprinting towards Landon, before whom now stood Bulbasaur.

Landon knelt down behind his Pokémon. "Bulbasaur, I'm begging you: Please, use Tackle."

"Saur!" Bulbasaur grinned at Landon, before rushing headlong at the oncoming Rattata.

There was a dull crack as the two Pokémon literally met head on, their foreheads smacking against one another with such force that Landon nearly felt it himself. Their faces pressed against each other, the two Pokémon glared at one another, struggling to push the other back and desperate not to concede any ground.

Bulbasaur gave a mighty shove and sent Rattata back a few steps, but in the blink of an eye, Rattata had recovered and slammed back into Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur hadn't had time to brace himself, and was knocked to the ground with a cry.

Landon moved to go to his Pokémon, but Bulbasaur gave him a look before turning to face Rattata again. Bulbasaur rushed forward once more to Tackle the rat, but Rattata dodged left at the last second and landed yet another Tackle attack in Bulbasaur's side.

Bulbasaur landed on the ground with a thud. He was clearly hurt, shaking as he tried again to get back to his feet. Landon watched in dismay as Rattata prepared for another attack.

This was certainly not the way Landon had envisioned his journey starting. After nearly an hour of boredom and slowly growing exhaustion, he'd now found himself thrust into a fight against a Rattata that seemed more and more determined to get him. He'd figured that his three rare and powerful Pokémon could protect him from any threat, but he could've kicked himself for forgetting how young and inexperienced they were. Well, now he was in this situation, and he needed to find a way out – fast.

Rattata lunged forward, speeding toward Bulbasaur to land another ferocious Tackle attack. Bulbasaur, still struggling to get up, tried to prepare itself for impact.

Suddenly, something flew by Landon's face so fast that all he saw was a brown blur. He cried out, startled, but before he could see what it was that had flown past, a cloud of dust appeared, as if a bomb had gone off.

Landon coughed and covered his eyes from the stinging sand, and nearly jumped out of his skin as a hand grabbed his wrist.

"Come on!"

Landon had no idea who had grabbed him, but he was now being dragged through the cloud of sand.

"Wait!" Landon cried, coming to his senses. "My Bulbasaur. We have to get him."

But there was no reply, and the mystery hand just kept pulling. Landon tried to pull back, but then whoever it was gave a mighty yank and Landon came toppling out of the sand cloud.

He saw a boy with brown hair pushed up in front. The boy was wearing a white t-shirt and khaki shorts, and was looking at Landon with dark eyes.

"Bulbasaur," Landon croaked, coughing from the sand in his mouth.

"It's ok," said the kid, and as if on cue, Bulbasaur came running from the dust, followed by a bird Pokémon. Landon recognized the Pokémon as a Pidgey, and then realized that it must have been this Pidgey which had flown in front of his face.

"Recall your Pokémon," the boy continued, and Landon did as he was told. Bulbasaur vanished in a beam of red light. "Now let's get out of here!"

Landon ran alongside the boy and his Pidgey, wondering exactly who he was and why he'd rescued Landon but thankful for the help nonetheless. They ran until they were panting and sure that Rattata hadn't followed. They finally stopped, breathing hard, and looked to one another. Landon wiped the sweat and dirt from his face, and Pidgey came to rest on the boy's shoulder.

"Who are you?" Landon gulped.

"I'm Petey, and this here's my Pidgey."

Landon tried to slow his beating heart. "I'm Landon. Thanks for saving me back there."

Petey patted his Pidgey on the head. "You can thank Pidgey. What were you doing, messing around with that Rattata?"

"I don't know," Landon shrugged. "I was just resting on a rock and it jumped out and attacked me. I decided to battle it with my Pokémon, but it was too strong."

"No kidding," Petey laughed. "Most Pokémon in this area are pretty low level, but that Rattata was a lot stronger."

Landon scratched his head. "Why was it attacking me? It seemed really angry."

"That was a mother. I think you were sitting too close to its babies and it wanted you away."

Landon was a little frustrated that all of that had been caused by, essentially, a misunderstanding of Landon's intent, but he was just happy to have gotten away relatively unscathed.

"It looks like your Bulbasaur got pretty banged up," continued Petey.

Landon grimaced. "Yeah."

"Here you go." Petey knelt down and pulled something out of a pouch he had round his waist. It was a small, single-use spray bottle, purple on the bottom and white on the top. "Take this Potion. That should help Bulbasaur feel a lot better."

"Thanks," Landon said, surprised by the generosity of the young boy.

He released Bulbasaur from his PokéBall and sprayed the Potion gently on the cuts and bruises Bulbasaur had sustained. Bulbasaur seemed instantly to feel better, and lay down looking content.

Landon turned to his savior. "What were you doing out here?"

Petey shrugged. "I was hanging out with Pidgey here. We were training and then we heard a commotion and found you fighting that Rattata."

Landon perked up. "You were training? You must be a Pokémon trainer! Me too!"

Petey chuckled to himself. "I won't be a Pokémon trainer for a few years – I'm only eight. Petey is my Pokémon, that's true, but I won't be able to register as a trainer for two more years."

"How'd you get your Pidgey?" asked Landon.

"My family. We've always trained Pidgey."

"Is Pidgey your favorite Pokémon?"

"Absolutely!" Petey proudly declared, and Pidgey on his shoulder gave a chirp of approval. "My family has trained Pidgey for years. We're one of the last great providers of carrier Pidgey."

Landon gave him a confused look. "What's a carrier Pidgey?"

Petey gaped back at him, and Pidgey chirped indignantly. "What do you mean, what's a carrier Pidgey? It's a Pidgey that delivers mail and small packages all over the world!"

Landon scratched his head in confusion. "That seems like it would sound more familiar than it does. Are you sure that's a real thing?"

"OF COURSE I'M SURE!" Petey shouted, causing Landon and Bulbasaur to jump in surprise. "Carrier Pidgeys are perhaps the world's oldest form of mail. Pidgey is known to be a very smart Pokémon, and people realized they could tell it how to get somewhere and then have it return home. They started attaching messages or small, lightweight packages and carrier Pidgeys were born!"

Landon was still unsure. "Yeah, but what about today? I mean, most mail is delivered some other way, and most packages would be too big and heavy for a Pidgey to carry. Really, most people send mail online and make calls instead of writing, anyway."

Petey suddenly looked downcast. "I know. It's all true. The carrier Pidgey trade isn't what it used to be. But it's still an important service used by people. It's way more fun to get a letter when it's brought to you by an adorable Pidgey."

Landon had to concede that this idea was far more attractive than walking to the mailbox. "So, you want to train your Pidgey to be a carrier?"

"That's right!" Petey grinned. "That way, Pidgey can see the world!"

"I wanna see the world, too," Landon replied. "That's one of the reasons why I decided to become a Pokémon trainer. If you became a trainer too, you could see the world with Pidgey once you turn ten."

Petey seemed at a loss for a moment. "I guess that's true . . . but I'm not ready to give up on my dreams of training a great carrier Pidgey just yet."

"No way!" Landon agreed. "You should definitely follow your dreams. Whatever is best for you and Pidgey, I'm sure you'll be happy."

Petey and Pidgey exchanged a look. "All we've got to do is make sure Pidgey here is strong enough. It's tough, flying all over the world carrying people's words. Pidgey needs to be strong so he can withstand the winds and rain, so he can endure long flights and deliver the mail quickly."

"So you come out here and train to get stronger," Landon finished. "That's great." Suddenly, Landon felt inspiration creeping over him. "If you need to toughen up your Pidgey, we should have a battle!"

Petey smiled. "That would be cool – but your Bulbasaur looks pretty tired."

"Don't worry about that," Landon said, reaching for another PokéBall. "Come on out, Charmander!"

Petey looked surprised. "Wow, you've got a Bulbasaur _and _a Charmander?"

"Yeah," Landon replied proudly. "Professor Oak gave them to me as a gift for my birthday yesterday."

"That's a pretty sweet present," Petey muttered, unable to hide the hint of envy that crept into his voice. He got to his feet. "All right. If Pidgey here wants to battle, we'll do it!" He looked to Pidgey, who chirped excitedly.

"All right, Charmander, Scratch attack!" Landon cried.

"Pidgey, use Tackle!" Petey called.

Pidgey began flying right at Charmander, who let out a fearful cry and ducked, just as Pidgey swooped overhead.

"Good dodge, Charmander," Landon laughed nervously, trying to stay positive. "Now you can go on the offensive."

But Charmander was shivering in the dirt, and Pidgey was wheeling round in the sky, coming back for another attack.

Landon looked at his cowering companion compassionately. If he didn't do something, Charmander would lie there and take a hit, and Landon couldn't imagine that would be very helpful in raising his Pokémon's self-confidence.

"Charmander! You can do it! I believe in you!"

Charmander opened an eye and cast a fear-ridden gaze at Landon. Landon stared back, mustering what he hoped was a look of encouragement and confidence. Slowly, Charmander stood up on shaky legs and turned to face Pidgey, who was now ready to attack again.

Pidgey swooped forward, ready to Tackle once more. Charmander looked like he might flee, but then he glanced again at Landon and turned to face the quickly approaching foe. As Pidgey drew near, Landon could see Charmander readying his claws. Just before Pidgey contacted with Charmander, Charmander dodged to the side and raked his claws across Pidgey's underbelly. Pidgey let out a caw of surprise and pain as it shot past.

"Pidgey!" Petey cried out.

Landon jumped in the air joyously. "Great job, Charmander!" Charmander smiled and jumped too.

"This isn't over yet," Petey yelled. "Pidgey, use Sand Attack!"

Pidgey flapped its wings furiously, and another burst of sand appeared, obscuring Landon's view. So this is how he'd saved them earlier today. Landon peered into the sand, hoping to see Charmander, but he couldn't. He heard Petey instruct Pidgey to use another Tackle attack, and Landon spent a panicked second wondering what to do.

"Charmander!" he called desperately. "Close your eyes and listen! When you hear Pidgey coming, use your Scratch attack!"

Landon peered into the sand, watching as it dissipated. He could just barely make out the light emanating from Charmander's tail – a disadvantage in situations like this – when he heard Charmander cry out. His breath caught in his throat as the sand began to disperse in the light breeze, fearfully waiting to see his defeated Pokémon.

When the sand cleared, he saw Charmander lying on the ground, rubbing its head – and Pidgey lying on the ground nearby, looking exhausted and beaten. Landon and Petey ran to their respective partners and snatched them up. It looked like both attacks had landed simultaneously – a draw.

"Way to go, Pidgey," Petey cooed.

Landon hugged Charmander tightly. "Good job, buddy. I'm proud of you." Charmander nuzzled close to Landon in response.

Petey produced another pair of Potions to revitalize Charmander and Pidgey, and then Landon announced that he'd best be on his way to Viridian City.

"I think I'll stay here and train a little more today," Petey replied. "But you're in luck. You should see Viridian City really soon if you just keep heading that way."

"Awesome," Landon smiled. "Thanks for your help, Petey, and for the Pokémon battle."

Petey laughed. "No, thank you. Pidgey's looking stronger than ever. He's gonna be ready to work as a carrier Pidgey in no time!"

The boys shook hands, and Landon continued on his way, smiling to himself at how well today had turned out. He walked for some time, but it wasn't terribly long before Landon could see buildings in the distance. Feeling renewed at the sight, Landon broke into a run. He found himself on a ridge looking down at his first real stop on his journey – Viridian City.

Viridian City was somewhat quaint and residential. It wasn't massive like some of the cities he'd heard of, but it was much larger than Pallet Town. Landon saw the red and blue roofs indicative of the Pokémon Center and PokéMart. He even thought he caught a glimpse of a building with an Indigo League symbol, and remembered that there was indeed a Pokémon Gym in Viridian City. Perhaps in the morning he would be challenging the gym leader for his very first badge.

Landon thought back on the adventure of the day. It had turned out so differently than expected, going from lonely to dangerous, but in the end it had all worked out, and Landon had even managed to make a friend along the way. He smiled to himself, thinking that this journey might just turn out to be the dream come true he'd hoped it would be after all.

And then he started walking the rest of the way to Viridian City.

* * *

><p>Who's That Pokémon?<p>

#016 Pidgey

Normal/Flying Type

Tiny Bird Pokémon

1'00", 4.0lbs

Pokédex: It is docile and prefers to avoid conflict. If disturbed, however, it can ferociously strike back.


End file.
